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Dufreche B&B near Bordeaux

Dufreche B&B is a large farmhouse 40 minutes south-east of Bordeaux, in Gironde near the French Atlantic coast.
Our home is set in open countryside, and the 20 acres includes a small vineyard and private fishing lake (free fishing for guests).

There are three letting bedrooms, of which one has a double bed and two single beds, and two have a double bed only. Evening meals (including vegetarian) are provided on request. Pets, children and (especially) Bikers are welcome!

Nearest airports: Bordeaux (Air France/BA from Gatwick, Flybe from Bristol, BMI Baby from Manchester, Birmingham) or Bergerac (Ryanair from Stansted or Flybe from Southampton, Bristol). Airport pickups can be arranged.

We are Jules and John Mitchell, a British couple, and we live in a self-contained annex of the farmhouse. Guests can enjoy the use of the rest of the house, including a large lounge with satellite TV, DVD/videos (and a large karaoke collection), a study (with piano) and a dining room. The upstairs bedrooms have ceiling fans, and there are unrestricted views across quiet countryside. The large terrace has a swing seat and tables where dinner is served in summer.

Across the lane is a track leading down to the vineyard and fishing lake. We weed, spray and prune the vines ourselves, and in October we pick the 8 rows of Merlot by hand, assisted by any energetic guests. The other 140 rows of Caberenet are picked by a hired machine, which is quite a sight to see in early October. All the grapes produce Bordeaux wine at the Co-operative at 'Cave de Cocumont', which was featured recently in Rick Stein's 'French Odyssey'. In fact, the start point for Rick's journey is only about ten minutes from us.

Our fishing lake is about 50 metres across, very secluded and quiet between vineyards and woods. We have some fishing tackle to lend out, and guests have caught bream and carp of about six pounds (see photo gallery!). Jules owns three medium-sized horses which she rides around the local fields and lanes. Experienced guests are welcome to join her at their own risk!

Bicycles (not new but in good working order) are available to explore the neighbourhood, which includes an Angora goat farm, a wild boar farm and village bakery. The local village has a grocery store, post office, restaurant and a lovely church. If you feel energetic there are also tennis courts and a football pitch.

Ten minutes drive will bring you to La Reole, near the A62 Bordeaux-Toulouse motorway. This is a very old French town on the river Garonne with bars, restaurants and a Saturday market.

In the opposite direction, twenty minutes drive will find you in Bazas or Langon, two very different towns. Bazas is a very old town, with a market square and a lovely cathedral. On the way to Bazas is Casteljaloux, where there is a large lake with a beach, pedalos, restaurants and a golf course. Langon, in the direction of Bordeaux itself, is a modern town with boutiques, hypermarkets, another golf course, an excellent Friday market and a Sunday morning 'vide grenier' (car boot sale).

Driving north past La Reole will take you through miles of vineyards in the 'Entre deux mers' region, many with free wine-tasting advertised at the roadside. In less than an hour you reach the historic hilltop town of St. Emilion, famous for its wine, cobbled streets and open air restaurants. Heading east the same distance will bring you to the Dordogne and the lovely town of Bergerac, then onto Dome or Rocamadour.

Go west instead and in an hour you will hit the beaches of the Atlantic Coast and the highest sand dune in Europe, with a hundred miles of sandy beaches before you reach the Spanish border. Still within a day trip of our B&B, you can head due south to Pau and the Pyrenees, retracing stages of the 'Tour de France'.